Chapter 12

Toriel sat up and yawned as she finished waking. She had never been a morning person, but she'd always slept well. At least, she had slept well. Ever since Death had come knocking on her door, her dreams had been plagued with his presence. It was a strange sensation. They weren't exactly nightmares, but they were hardly what she would call pleasant. Sometimes she would be forced to watch as he cut down humans and took their souls. Other times, she would recall his menacing smile as her mind replayed the battle in her garden. Try as she might, she couldn't shake him from her thoughts. Occasionally she would find herself wondering what kind of person he was. She imagined a cold, almost sadistic personality that reveled in destroying anything that got in his way. She told herself that the playful, almost comedic banter he'd spouted when they met was all just a ploy to keep her from seeing what he really was. Deep down though, in her more rational moments, she had to admit that she didn't really know anything about him. Still, she couldn't be far off. After all, his sole purpose was to kill things. God or not, there was no way he was capable of anything resembling true compassion. If he was, he'd have turned his back on his purpose long ago.

"All right, Toriel," she said to herself. "Enough sitting around. It's a new day, and you might as well make the most of it."

She got up and began to make her rounds. She worked on her garden for a while, rearranging it and trying out new flowers. Then, she visited with the animals that called the Sanctuary home. Around noon, she started to gather some of the various fruits and vegetables she grew for her lunch. She mixed them together into a salad and sat down to eat, offering some of the berries to her animal friends. After eating, she got up and headed towards the entrance to the Sanctuary, where her barrier stood. Ever since that fateful day, she'd made it a point to check on it to make sure no one was getting in undetected. She still couldn't believe Death had broken it down and trespassed without her sensing it. When she arrived, she found the barrier intact, and not a trace of anything suspicious. She sighed. She ought to feel relieved, she supposed, but she knew it was only a matter of time before someone came for her. It had been over a month. Death had probably told the others by now. She knew that Asgore was probably smart enough not to show up in person, but that wouldn't keep him from sending someone in his place. For that matter, some of the gods would come on their own, just to get a chance to see her.

There were times where she regretted investing so much time into caring for everyone. Asgore had been, and still was, the king, the ruler who job it was to make sure their world stayed safe. Unfortunately, his duties had left little for socialization. Immediately following the war with Chaos and her creation of humans there had been a time of great hope, but also one of great uncertainty. Asgore had been focused on making sure the world was still safe, and so she had taken up the role of guiding their people through their struggles. She had helped many during those days, and she'd developed close personal friendships with just about everyone. She had been closer to some than others, but she had made it a point to spread the world that if a god ever needed counsel, she would be there. Leaving the friends she had made behind was the one regret she'd had when she left the heavens. Well, that and her son.

"I wonder how Asriel is doing?" she thought. "Is he growing well? Does he have friends? Is he fulfilling his duties? And what does he think of me now? I left while he was away, I never got a chance to say goodbye. Would he have agreed with me? Would he have come with me to this place?"

The questions wouldn't leave her head as she slowly walked back to her garden. Either way, she would probably find out soon enough. It was only a matter of time before—

"Well that's a pretty pathetic expression. You're acting like someone just died."

Toriel whipped around in shock and instantly called forth her fire magic. Death was sitting in a tree only a few feet behind her. His hands were folded behind his head and he was leaning up against the trunk, one eye closed. That insufferable grin was on his face as he raised one hand to wave at her.

"Sup," he said. "Miss me?"

She didn't bother answering, she just threw a fireball at him. Right before it hit, he vanished, and then she heard his voice behind her again.

"Well, your fire missed me at least," he said mockingly as she turned to face him.

She gathered another fireball in her hands but Death put his arms up and said, "Look, we both know that fighting each other is pointless. So unless you want to waste another few hours duking it out, you might as well save yourself the trouble and put the flames away."

She glared at him. She hated it, but he was right. Her flames dissipated. "Why are you here? Did Asgore send you?" she asked.

"Hmm? No, he didn't send me," he replied. "I'm here to visit, just like I said I would. Are you honestly going to tell me you're surprised? You were pretty quick off the mark there. Almost as if you were waiting for me."

Toriel's eye twitched. Death was reading her far better than she thought possible. "If you're here to taunt me, then leave. You are not welcome here."

"Who said anything about taunting you? I'm just here to chat. And now I'm curious. What exactly would I be taunting you about?"
Toriel narrowed her eyes. He was really starting to get on her nerves. "Finding me of course. I'm sure everyone was delighted when you brought them the news. How did you find me anyway?"

"Well, for starters, finding you was actually pretty simple once I figured it out. All I had to do was look for a place without any death. I'm starting to wonder why no one else thought of it."

Toriel's heart sank even lower. She had hoped that it had been luck which let him stumble onto her hiding place. Now she knew that she would never be able to hide again. Not from him at least.

"As for everyone's reaction," he continued. "Well, I'm afraid there isn't any reaction. Because no one else knows anything about this place."

She looked at him with a stupefied expression. "You… you didn't tell anyone?"

"Look, lady," he said. "I told you last time that I didn't come here looking for you. No one sent me. So I decided to hold my tongue for the time being."

"Why would you do such a thing?" she asked.

"Think of it as a peace offering. I'd rather not have to fight you every time we meet."

Toriel remained silent for a minute. He seemed sincere, but his idea was ludicrous. Peace? Between them? They were Life and Death, complete and total opposites of each other! She was willing to acknowledge that physically fighting was a waste of their time, but there would never be any peace between them.

"While I am grateful that you've kept my Sanctuary a secret, I'm afraid it doesn't change anything. You are an abomination, a creature that exists only to destroy what I have made. How can you possibly expect me to accept a peace offering from a creature of Darkness such as yourself?"
"By using the word 'yes'," he said with a smile.

"No," she snarled. "There can never be any true peace between us. Begone, creature of Darkness and do not return."

It was Sans's turn to sit in silence. That wasn't quite the reaction he'd been hoping for. He thought that keeping her hiding place a secret would be enough to get her on decent terms with him, but apparently not. He needed to get her talking more. Time to try a different angle.

"Why do you call me that?" he asked.

Toriel had turned to walk away but she paused at his question. She looked over her shoulder, eyes filled with irritation and hate. "Call you what? An abomination?"

"No, that part I understand," he replied. "You have a low opinion of me, I get it. I'm talking about the whole 'creature of darkness' thing. Seems like a low blow, don't you think?"

She turned back around to face him fully again. Now her eyes showed traces of confusion. "I call you a creature of Darkness because that is what you are," she said.

"Look, I know you hate my guts, but its not like I'm completely evil or anything. I have a job to do and I do it. I'm still a god, made of the same stuff as you are."

Now, there was pity in her eyes. "Are you truly so ignorant of yourself?" she asked.

Sans was starting to get a sinking feeling. "Explain."

Toriel sniffed and gave him a look that was almost a smirk. "I can see right through you, into your very being. You may be a god, but you are not like me. I was born of the stars, molded by and filled with their Light. You are the exact opposite."

"Uh, news flash. My body's made of stardust just like yours."

Toriel bent her head in a slight bow. "True. Your physical body was fashioned from the dust of a dead star, but that is where our similarities end. I, more than any other god, am one with the Light. And I sense no Light in you."

Sans was starting to sweat. "You're lying," he stammered.

"Am I?" she challenged. "Think, God of Death. My powers, the power to create, the power to mold souls, and breath life into others comes directly from the starlight within me. How is it possible for the same power to do the exact opposite? Why do you think that a completely new god was needed to usher death into the world? It is because none of the rest of us were capable of fulfilling that role. Not unwilling, but incapable. Life is a force that comes directly from the Light, and so to undo Light, the opposite force is needed. I call you a creature of Darkness because Darkness is what makes up the core of your being. You were made from it. The power that runs through you is the same power that was once wielded by Chaos himself. That is why there can never be peace between us. If you still doubt me, why don't you ask those who created you? Although seeing as how they've kept you in the dark so far, I'll bet they won't tell you anything."

Sans simply stared, unable to fully comprehend what he was being told. As much as he wanted to deny it, what she said made perfect sense. But why would Gaster and the others keep this a secret from him? Toriel looked rather pleased with herself. "For once, you don't have a comeback," she said.

"I think I've overstayed my welcome again," he replied. "I need to get going anyway. The humans aren't going to reap themselves, you know."

That wiped the smug expression from Toriel's face. She clenched her fists, thinking about throwing another fireball at him. It would be pointless though. "Good, I don't want you here anyway."

The God of Death vanished into thin air. Toriel gazed at where he had departed for several minutes to make sure he was truly gone. Then she sighed. She had won this encounter, but what surprised her was her reaction. At first, she was elated and quite proud that she had managed to blindside Death so badly. On the other hand, she couldn't help but feel pity for him. Had he truly not known? She had been telling the truth when she said she was closer to the Light than any other, but the Darkness within him should be blindingly obvious to any god. Perhaps Asgore had ordered everyone to keep the truth from him, although she couldn't fathom why.

"I still can't believe he thought he was fashioned from Light like the rest of us. Maybe now I can get him to turn his back on his purpose. If he thought that Death was a product of the same Light that gave birth to me, then it might explain why he has no issues destroying my creations."

That was the most optimistic thought she'd had since her first battle with him. She began walking back to her garden at a much brisker pace, whistling one of her favorite tunes. Strange how a surprise visit from Death had ended up making her day. She snorted at the thought. Talk about irony!

Sans traveled to the celestial realm, and he didn't waste any time. He headed straight for Gaster's house, making absolutely no effort to hide his presence. He wanted him to know he was coming, and that he wasn't in the mood to play games. This would be the second time there had been secrets kept from him, only this time they were about himself. He was going to get answers and there would be hell to pay if Gaster tried to hide the truth from him.

"Not this time, old man. Not this time."